


The player on center ice

by Wheel_of_fortune



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: M/M, Soulmates, Time Travel, fuck time-travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-29
Updated: 2017-08-29
Packaged: 2018-12-21 05:47:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,466
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11937609
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wheel_of_fortune/pseuds/Wheel_of_fortune
Summary: Sometimes, your soulmate comes back in time to give you a pep-talk. Not that you remember who they were and what they said, but the feelings remain.This story is set during Bitty’s first year.





	The player on center ice

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, another one. This is a one-shot.  
> Warnings: time-travel. Don’t try to make sense of it, it’s just fluff.  
> This work has not been beta-read, all mistakes and typos are mine.

Eric was about to quit hockey. He would quit hockey, then quit Samwell altogether, and go back to Georgia his tail between his legs and prove right every single person that said he wasn’t strong enough for such a manly sport.

Jack had chewed him out again- in front of everyone.

 

Once again, Eric had almost fainted during a scrimmage. It was the second time this week, and there were still in pre-season. If he didn’t get over this irrational fear, he’d be back home sooner than later.

But he just- he just couldn’t.

Jack didn’t YELL, no, but his voice carried and he still managed to humiliate Eric in front of the team. Some of the others - mostly Shitty - had tried to explain that Jack was like that with everyone before the real season started, but in his mother’s words “It’s still not an excuse to be rude”.

Eric stood there and took whatever his captain deigned throw his way, and this time, the words seemed to hurt even more.

‘This isn’t a JOKE. Either get with the program or QUIT.’

Jack then left him, alone on the blue line, and went to talk with Johnson at the goal.

Eric tried to stop shaking, but he was overwhelmed with emotions. Anger, humiliation, helplessness. There was something wrong with him.

‘Come on, Bitty, don’t look so down,’ said Shitty, joining him. ‘He’s a dick, but a nice dick.’

‘Do you even hear yourself talk, man?’ asked Ransom.

‘Innuendos aside, Bitty’s right,’ said Holster, just a step behind. ‘Being “nice”, well whatever can pass for nice, doesn’t forgive how much of a dick he’s being.’

‘I- I said nothing of the sort-’ tried Eric.

‘Don’t worry about Jack, he’s not that mean,’ said Ranson with a shrug. ‘I mean, when he’s not making us do suicides-’

The other three started bickering, but Eric couldn’t join the conversation.

He still felt miserable. Worthless. Minuscule.

He just wanted- just wanted…

A bright light caught his attention. The ice started to glow, and static filled the air. At center ice, a brighter light started to shine, until it blinded him.

  
At that point, all the other players had stopped talking and were looking in awe.

‘Oh shit on shit on shit!’ squealed Holsted, hitting Ransom repeatedly on the shoulder.

‘Brooooooo!!!’ squealed back Ransom. ‘It’s a traveler!!!’  
‘Shit brah, here?’ said Shitty, removing his helmet. ‘Who do you think they came for?’

The rest of the team stood there, transfixed.

A figure appeared in the light. Soon enough, they could make out a hockey player, tall and broad-shouldered, wearing a white, blue and yellow uniform.

The light dissipated, leaving the player alone in the middle of the rink.

‘Fuck, he’s wearing a Falconer’s uniform!’ shout-whispered Holster.

‘Oh FUCK do you think that’s Alexei Mashkov?’ squealed Ransom. ‘Maybe he’s there for me??’

‘Shut it guys, that’s not Ransom,’ said Shitty with wonder. ‘That’s…’

The player removed his helmet and let it fall.

‘JACK MOTHERFUCKING ZIMMERMANN YOU INCREDIBLE BEAUTY!!!’

In a heartbeat, Shitty was in the new Jack’s arms, crying on his shoulder.

‘Oh dear- you’re- Jack you fucking wonder- you’re the most incredible thing I’ve ever seen- let me look at you-’

He stepped back and took him by the shoulders.

‘You are a fucking miracle!’  
‘Haha, thanks Shitty. It’s nice to see you too.’

‘And- LOOK HOW HAPPY YOU ARE! Are those laugh lines? And grey hairs? And WHAT’S THAT SCAR- WHO HURT YOU, MY LOVE??’

‘Huh, it was a game against Boston-’

‘AND YOU PLAY IN THE NHL!’

‘Yes- but Shits, I’m so glad to see you, and I missed your flow, but I really need to talk to someone else-’

‘Yes, of course, my beautiful canadian moose- what do you mean, you miss my flow?’ squeaked Shitty, bringing his gloved hands to his head.

Jack disentangled himself and advanced. The other players watched him in wonder. Compared to them, he was magnificent, tall and strong in his official uniform.

Older Jack nodded to Ransom and Holster, who unconsciously grabbed hands like excited fangirls. Ransom started fanning himself.

Eric watched him come closer, and closer, and never expected a single moment that Jack would stop in front of him. But he did, and he smiled softly.

‘Hey Bits.’

‘… Jack?’

Eric stared. This Jack was older and seemed… happier. Nicer. And so incredibly beautiful. Eric could drown in his soft eyes.

‘… are- are you there for me?’ Eric whispered.

‘Of course I’m here for you, Bits,’ he chuckled. ‘Who else?’

Bitty was speechless at this. Jack, incredibly talented Jack, who hated him and seemed to grow into this splendid professional hockey player, came to see him?

‘That can’t be true, Jack,’ tried Bitty. ‘You hate me.’

‘No,’ said Jack sadly. ‘I never did. I’m sorry for what a jerk I’ve been- I’m currently being. You don’t deserve it. Bits, you’re the best, kindest person I’ve ever met.’

Eric laughed a bit hysterically.

‘You talk a lot more when you’re older,’ he blurted.

‘Haha, well it’s one of the things you taught me. Thank you for that.’

‘I can’t-’

Eric turned around and looked at the younger Jack, frozen near the goal. He was watching his older self with fear.

‘I still have trouble believing it?’ admitted Eric. ‘You? With me?’

Older Jack removed his gloves and placed his hands on Eric’s cheeks.

‘Bits… I love you. More than anything.’

‘… what- you do?’

‘Do you want to hear a secret?’

‘Huh, alright?’

‘Yesterday, I bought an engagement ring for you. It’s a gold band with a red stone set in the middle. I’m planning to propose soon.’

Eric stared, speechless.

‘That’s cheating,’ he whispered after a while. ‘You know I’m not going to remember any of this!’

‘I’m sorry, I’ve been wanting to tell you, but I didn’t want to spoil the surprise,’ said Jack bashfully. ‘I hid it behind of my WWII history books in the living room.’

‘… We have a living room?’

‘We decorated it together- well, mostly you. But I hung things! And moved the couch around. It’s a beautiful home.’

‘And we… we are happy?’

‘So happy, Bits.’

Eric breathed. He didn’t know how long he had, these things were never definite, but he needed- he needed to know.

‘Jack, how will this end up for me? Hockey? Do I need to quit? Do I need to go back to Georgia?’

‘On no- no. I’m so sorry that I even made you think this. No, my love, you’re going to get better, at checking, at everything. We’re going to play together, so well, and you’ll teach me so many things about hockey, about everything, really.’

Eric let out a breath and let his head fall on the Falconer’s logo on Jack’s torso.

‘Thank you,’ he whispered. ‘I guessed I needed to hear this, today.’

‘I know,’ breathed Jack. ‘You told me.’

Eric lifted his head and smiled. He already liked this man. He could learn to like the boy he was right now.

‘I have to leave soon, Bits, and there are things I need to tell myself,’ said older Jack, pointing his younger version with his head.

‘Al-alright?’

Older Jack let him go, slowly, and skated towards his younger self, who just-

… skated back, terrified.

Johnson placed a hand on his shoulder and pushed him a bit forward.

Older Jack reached his younger self and simply hugged him.

After a moment of surprise, younger Jack slowly hugged back. There were some whispered words, and the hug ended. Older Jack placed a hand on the other’s shoulder and nodded, before skating back to Eric.

‘I’ll see you soon, Bits,’ he muttered, kissing him on the forehead.

‘.. Bye Jack,’ Eric whispered back.

Older Jack skated back to center ice, where he grabbed back his helmet and disappeared in a flash of light.

The SMH team blinked, coming back to themselves.

‘Bro, I didn’t hallucinate, right?’ asked Ransom. ‘We just got a traveller?’

‘Yeah, but fuck, I can’t remember who it was,’ whined Holster. ‘Why can’t we be allowed to know things from the future?’

‘Because fuck time-travel,’ said Ransom. ‘I just remember they were hot.’

‘I remember that too,’ agreed Holster. ‘How about you, Shits?’

Shitty shook himself, blinked once or twice.

‘I just met the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen in my entire life,’ whispered Shitty with reverence. ‘And I can’t remember their name for shit.’

‘Dude, you think they were there for you?’

‘No- no, not me.’

Eric, some paces away, held himself.

He didn’t know who came to visit him, but he knew some things.

One, things were going to be okay.

Two, he was going to be so, so loved.

A little bit further away, near the goal, Jack was having those same thoughts.


End file.
